Self-gripping tool with resilient wires for turning socket head fasteners



J. DE 0 2,775,913 r s -GRIPPING TOOL w RESILIENT wmas OR TURN soASTENERS Jan. 1, 1957 LIS IT l CKET HEAD F uly 20, 195

FIGS

FIG-8 FIG.7

INVENTOR JOHN DELI SO FIG.|2

ATTORNEY United States Patent SELF-GRIPPING TOOL WITH RESILIENT WIRESFOR TURNING SOCKET HEAD FASTENERS John Deliso, Worcester, Mass.

Application July 20, 1955, Serial No. 523,214

2 Claims. (Cl. 81-72) This invention relates to a new and improved toolparticularly adapted to act in the manner of a wrench or nut runner forturning socket head fasteners such as Allenhead screws or the like, andthe principal object of the invention resides in the provision of aself-gripping tool of this nature which is easily and quickly insertablein the socket and tends automatically to expand to grasp the fastener atthe interior walls of the socket, whereby such fastener may be heldreleasably to the tool for quick and easy application thereof wheredesired.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a tool ofthe class described comprising a plurality of separate elongated wiremembers shaped complementarily to fit the socket, said members beingheld together in flatwise contacting relation by welding or by othermeans such as a ferrule, said wire members being permanently sprungslightly apart and providing for resilient compression thereof, so thatwhen the free ends thereof are inserted in a socket, they will becompressed or sprung toward each other to exert a reactionary forceoutwardly against the walls of the socket and frictionally hold the samethereto; and the provision of a multi-part, secured wire wrench whereinthe separate parts are made to be substantially on size to fit thesocket, when compressed, so that the wire parts support each otherlaterally to make a stronger tool.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 isa view in side elevation of a tool according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating the tips of the socket-holdingmembers in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 4 is an end view of a modification;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation illustrating a step in the process ofmaking the tool;

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the use of the tool;

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are end views illustrating other but non-limitingshapes of wire;

Fig. 11 illustrates another form of wrench; and

Figs. 12 and 13 are end views illustrating a further form.

In carrying out one form of the present invention, a pair of elongateddrawn wires generally indicated at 19 and 12 are provided and thesewires are alike in section but reversed in the finished tool, so astogether form a shape complementary to the socket. Reference is made toPatent No. 2,729,998 issued January 10, 1956.

The cross section of the wire may be multi-sided and of any shape asillustrated, and the split between the wires may be either on a long ora short axis relative to the resultant solid. In actual use, the Fig. 3form is preferred, but the invention is not limited to this form andcould be made in the forms shown in Figs. 4 and 7-10 inclusive.

The two wires 10 and 12 are flatly held together and 2,775,913 PatentedJan. 1, 1957 secured by sinking the same in a ferrule 14 (see Fig. 5) orby welding as in Fig. 11, see the numeral 13. The ferrule is preferablyprovided with longitudinal keys or the like, and the same may be sunkinto a handle 16 which may be a conventional handle for tools such asscrewdrivers, nut runners, etc.

In any event, it will be clear that the wires 10 and 12 are sprungslightly apart as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, andthis forms a space or slit 18 between the wires, regardless of the shapeof the wires. This separation is formed in such a way as to preserve theresiliency of the wires, and they are held in the spaced relation shownand do not return to the original fiat contacting position of Fig. 5except when under the influence of inwardly directed pressure. When socompressed, the wires assume a complete and exact shape of the socket,and are on size and contact each other at their flat sides providinglateral support.

The fingers of the operator may press the wires together so as to easilyenter the same into the socket head 20 of a conventional socket headfastener. On the other hand, the free ends of the wires may be beveledas at 22, so that the free ends of the wires may be thrust into thesocket as illustrated in Fig. 6. In this figure, the tool is shown innormal condition in dotted lines, and it is merely necessary to advancethe same toward the socket and then press axially on the handle of thetool so that the beveled portions 22 act to cam the two wires in towardeach other as shown in solid lines in this figure. In

this position, of course, the nut or other socketed fastener is firmlyfrictionally held by the tool, and once the tool has provided forattachment of the fastener where desired, it is quickly and easilywithdrawn, whereupon the wires Ill or 12 may snap back to their originalposition in spaced relation to each other, as in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that this invention provides a relatively simple andinexpensive nut runner or similar type of tool which grips the sockethead fasteners and holds the same while being applied to the desiredlocations. By using the two separate wires, any size of tool can be madedown to the extreme smallest size of nut or screw and this would ofcourse be impossible if it were attempted to make the tool by firstproviding a shaped section wire and then cutting it, as so much materialwould have to be removed as to make the wire inefiective for the purposeat hand.

Furthermore, relatively expensive cutting or slitting operations arecompletely avoided by making the present tool in the form of the twowires and also tempering, etc. is largely avoided, the only necessarything being to per manently separate the wires by forming the space 18as described above.

Any sectional shape is possible, and various forms are shown in thePigs. 7l0 inclusive. These forms are illustrative and not inclusive, andin all cases, the socket outline or shape is the same as the wires whencontacting, so that the socket is always filled and the parts aresolidly but releasably connected.

In Fig. 4, the wires are indicated by the numerals 24, 26 and these arethe same in section, and can be parts of the same extruded wire, as isalso the case with wires 10 and 12. In Fig. 7, the wires 28, 3!) aretriangular in section and make a square when compressed, as do therectangular section wires 32 and 34 of Fig. 8. In Fig. 9, the Wires areformed with fins or flanges 36 and a central ir regularity or hump 38,and of course the nuts or other fasteners would be complementarilyshaped. In Fig. 10, the wires 40, 42 are more nearly semi-circular andare provided with tabs or keys 44 for turning corresponding nuts or thelike.

The hexagonal shape of the socket is conventional in Allen headfasteners in common use, and the hex type of tool of Figs. 3 and 4, 12and 13 can be used without the necessity of making special fasteners.Where more than a pair of wires is desired, the wires are made in setsof six, as at 46 in Figs. 12 and 13, and this form has the advantages ofthe form of Fig. 3, plus the fact that the wires are moved inwardly fromthe entire circumference, and so tend to press outwardly equally in alldirections against the flat sides of the hex socket, such as at 20 inFig. 6, giving a somewhat better holding action.

The invention in any case still forms a multi-part tool completelyfilling the socket in contracted condition, and preventing slip andtwist of the parts as the fastener is turned.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A tool for holding and turning a hexagonal socket head fastener, saidtool comprising a plurality of elongated conjoined but separate wiresarranged around a central axis, each wire having a cross section in theform of a triangle, means holding the wires in parallel relationship,said wires having corresponding free ends slightly spaced apart, saidWires being springy and each having substantially flat sides, a flatside of each wire facing a corresponding side of an adjacent wire sothat they will form a full regular hexagon section when pressedtogether, to substantially fit and fill the hexagonal socket of thefastener.

2. A tool for holding and turning a hexagonal socket head fastener, saidtool comprising six elongated conjoined but separate springy wiresarranged around a central axis, means for holding the wires insubstantially parallel relationship, said wires having correspondingportions free and distorted to be slight spaced at the free endsthereof, said Wires when pressed together forming a regular hexagonalsection to fit exactly the socket of the fastener and each wire having afiat side to contact a like fiat side of another wire, said fiat sidesbeing diametrical of the hexagonal section from a corner to an oppositecorner thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS791,548 Fischer June 6, 1905 1,780,785 Jansson Nov. 4, 1930 2,729,998Deliso Jan. 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 255,781 Switzerland Jan. 17, 1949808,040 Germany July 9, 1951

